FAQ

Cartridge Town is an online shop specialising in generic ink and toner cartridges that we import directly. Cartridge Town only sells on-spec generic and remanufactured cartridges that will work in the printers they were designed for. Generic cartridges are just as good as original cartridges, but are sold at a fraction of the price, making your printing more cost-effective.

We are a direct importer of generic cartridges from third party manufacturers, cutting out the middleman and keeping the costs down. We are so sure of the quality of these cartridges, that we are proud to put our name on it.

We are confident that our generic cartridges will not be the cause of any damage to your printer. However, most printer brands specifically state in their warranty conditions that the use of off-brand cartridges will void the manufacturer’s warranty.

Whether the manufacturers would be able to tell if you have used compatible cartridges is moot, but Cartridge Town would suggest using OEM cartridges while the printer is still under warranty.

In some instances, a single cycle of generic cartridge use would save you an amount that is greater than what it would cost to replace a faulty printer with a new one.

Generic (or compatible) cartridges are on-spec cartridges made by third party manufacturers for use in brand name printers. Generic cartridges are not refilled used cartridges. All components of generic cartridges are newly made.

Remanufactured cartridges are used cartridges that were refurbished by third party manufacturers. During the remanufacturing process, a used cartridge is inspected and all worn parts are replaced with on-spec new parts. In general, these cartridges are of slightly less reliability than generic cartridges made from scratch. Cartridge Town only imports remanufactured cartridges from reputable suppliers.

There is a small chance it might, but not more of a chance than when using original cartridges. Our cartridges undergo stringent quality controls, but like any manufactured product (original cartridges included), a small percentage might be defective when sold.

The print head is the part of an inkjet printer that applies the ink to the paper. Sometimes, like in many HP and Lexmark printers, the print head forms part of the cartridge, making it more expensive. In other printers, the print head is part of the printer, making cartridges less expensive.

The drum is the central component of a laser printer. It's the part that receives the image from the laser and transfers it to the paper to produce the final print. As the drum gets charged by a laser, it picks up toner, and then rolls that toner onto a piece of paper.

We accept MasterCard and Visa credit and debit cards. You can also pay via EFT or direct bank deposit. We use industry standard SSL encryption when processing card payments, so you can rest assured that your critical information will remain safe.

About 99% of ink cartridges are foam based and therefore do not leak in to the printer. It is physically impossible for a foam based ink cartridge to leak as the foam holds the ink and requires the printer to draw the ink out.

The ink that you notice in your printer is caused from frequently turning your printer on and off, ink cartridge replacement, print head alignment and automatic print head cleaning cycles.

The print head cleaning cycles force ink out of the ink cartridge to clean the print head. Over time, the waste ink reservoir (the area under the printer which is covered by thick cardboard or foam) gets filled with this ink and needs to be cleaned or the printer will need to be replaced. This happens especially if the printer is turned on and off every day or is a high usage printer.

The amount of pages a cartridge yields depends on the types of documents you are printing. Photos, web pages, and graphics use a significant higher amount of ink or toner. The stated yield for cartridges is based on documents where 5% page coverage has been printed. ISO/IEC19752 lays out guidelines for testing page yield and all cartridge manufacturers must test to this standardised method. For more information, please read What Does 5% Coverage Mean?

In case you have ordered the wrong cartridges, you can send the cartridges back to us in its original packaging. We'll send you the correct cartridges if we have them in stock or refund you if not.

In case your cartridge is faulty, you can send it back to us and we'll either refund it or replace it with a working cartridge. Please note that only cartridge more than half full are returnable in such an instance.

OEM ink and toner cartridges carry the brand name of your printer and were manufactured by them. All the OEM ink and toner cartridges we sell are of the highest quality and certified as genuine.

Generic

Generic cartridges have been produced by a third party manufacturer – not the original printer manufacturer. Generic cartridges are produced under high standards and strict quality controls, similar to that of OEM cartridges, and are guaranteed to work in the designated compatible printer.

Remanufactured

Remanufactured toner cartridges are used cartridges that have been recycled – these empty cartridges are then cleaned and inspected by certified technicians. The worn parts are replaced and the toner refilled according to industry standards. They are then tested, repackaged and resold.

Although Cartridge Town is not a fan of remanufacturing, we do stock remanufactured cartridges where generic cartridges are not available. Our suppliers of remanufactured cartridges follow stringent controls, ensuring quality products, in comparison to other suppliers who might not replace all the necessary parts.

Remanufacturing is an eco-friendly process, reclaiming highly pollutant cartridges that would otherwise end-up in landfills.

Refilled

Although the cartridge refilling industry is large, Cartridge Town does not endorse this practice as it negatively affects print quality, leads to leaking and is generally just one big mess.